Method and apparatus for separating coke and ash



Aug. 28, H923. 3,466,377

P. H. JUNG METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING COKE AND ASH Filed NOV. 8, 1919 H Inventor By Attqrny PHILIP H. JUNG, OF MOUNT UNION',ilEll;ilN1\l'SY'ITANIIL.-

METHOD AND Amana/rus non SEPARM'IN'G, com: ,AND asn.

Application :tiled November 8, 1919.' Serial No. 336,689.

s` lvania, have invented new and useful Im-4 rovements in Methods and Apparatus for Separating Coke and Ash, of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention relates to a method and apparatus .fora salvaging coke and imperfectly burned coal from ash and clinkers.

It is well known that the so-called ashes removed from furnaces and boilers contain a material percentage of coke and partially burned coal which has considerable fuel from the furnace into a solution or suspen sion whose specific gravity is held at a desired value between the specific gravities of the coke and, ash, allowing the coke to rise to the surface of the iuid, from whence it is removed, and allowing the ash to vcollect at the bottom of the trank. Proposed methods of this type are all open to serious objection. To obtain a solution of suiicient specific gravity to effect a separation an excessive amount of solid must be added, and trouble* is invariably encountered due to-crystallization. When a suspension isemployed the suspended material invariably settles out along with the ash inthe settling tank, and the specific gravity is reduced below that of the unburned coke or coal. By my invention I provide an economical and efficient method and apparatus for separating the coke and partially burned coal from the? ashes and; clinkers which is substantially automatic in its operation, requiring little lalooirv and com` paratively inexpensiver apparatus land materia-ls, and which is not open to the above stated objections. 4 f

I also provide means for reclaiming the materials used in separation of the coke and ash. i j s In carrying out my invention I take advantage of the difference in the specific gravities of the coke and partiallyburned coal `principles disclosed in the and the ash whereby when the mixture isl delivered to a suitable tank containing matei rial of the proper specific gravity the' coke and ashI may be directed in different paths and separately collected and discharged from the tank. `In carrying out my invention I preferably use the apparatus embodying the accompanying drawings, wherein-` l Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of such apparatus; and

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the tank employed with parts shown in section.

Referring to the drawings, 1 indicates the main compartment of the tank which is preferably long and narrow and contains a solution or mixture of specific gravity about equal to the average specimen of coke or partially burned coal inthe mass to be separated. 'Ihis solution may be a concentrated brine or a sodium bicarbonate solution,-or may be water having in suspension a sufficient quantity of sand orother finely grolund siliceous or non-argillaceous mate- 1'13: soluble material may be suspended in the salt or soda solution. This latter arrangement is particularly successful in that a separating medium of proper specific gravity may be obtained without encountering diauch Or, if desired, the sand or other inf culty byy reason of employing a solution of f yhigh concentration or excessive amount of material in suspension lwhich is necessary where a pure solutlon or a'pure suspension 1s used.

Supported above the tank isa hopper 2 in which the mixture to be separated is deposited either directly by suitable conveyors from the furnace, or otherwise, the hopper being provided with a feed 3 through which the material discharges in a thin layer onto a conveyor belt 4 leading tothe surface of the fluid in the main tank.

Ateach side of the main tank separate compartments 5 are provided, each of which contains a paddle wheel '6 continuously "driven, when the ,process is in operation, by a belt or otherwise, from the main power shaft 7.v Port openings 8 leading into the los main tank are provided at r'each end of the.

auxiliary tanks whereby the paddle wheels will producefa continuous and rapid circu- 'lation lof the fluid lthrr'niigh, the main' tankA away 'from the feed belt 4, thence throughl ed tank, s'o;that the material' -1'10 the auxiliary tanks backto 'the openings adtionr will be effected between the coke and the ash, the coke remaining-on or near the surface where it will be carried by the flow against a lifting' conveyor 9 having suitable pockets or steps which engage the particles of coke and lift them out of the'tank where they are discharged on a draining screen 10. I

The ash and clinkers'sink in the fluid with suflcientrapidity to reach a submerged conveyor belt 11 having its upper reach rotat-- ing in a reverse direction to the current, whereby the ash will be 'carried toward the opposite end of the main tank. 'llhe submerged conveyor 11 discharges ontoa second lifting conveyor 12 which liftsv the ash out of the tank and discharges it onto a draining screen 13 on the opposite end of the main tank under a wash water spray 14C and over a settling tank 19.

Above 'the'drain board 10 ll also provide i' v a wash water spra 14C,- the Vwash water' drainingl through t e screen onto a drain board 15 into a small additional tank 16 between .the main tank 1 and a settling tank i a 18 at the ,end of tle apparatus.

rllhe tank 16 Ais connected with the main tank 1 by a port opening 17 extending across the partition which separates the main tank fromA the tank 16, the port opening being l preferably somewhat below Vthe surface of the main tank so that the solution in the l smalltank will not be unduly agitated by the circulation of the solution in the main tank fand the side compartments 5. Beyond the tank 16 and beneath the drain board 15 there is provided an overflow compartment which is separated from `the tank 16 by a partition of less height than the side walls of the tank, whereby the liquid level in the tank 16, the main tank l and the side compartments 5 will be maintained at the height of the partition.

lin connection with the above described apparatus l preferably employ an automatic feed hopper Ifor maintainingthe solution in the tank at thedesired strength, although of course this is not necessary to successful operation of the apparatus, as the solution may obviously be kept to strength by adding the salt or other matter to it from time to time, as required. The automatic feed may be of any desired design in which the opening of the feed valve is controlled by the strength of the solution. A small hopper 20 having a rotary valve 21 controlled by a float 23 on the end of the valve arm 22 arranged to extend into the solution, will answer the purpose quite well, the valve being 'less and unless the salt or ,ing fluid is all arranged to open when the float sinks in the solution, due to the lowering of the specific gravity of the lsolution by the addition of the wash water to the screens from the tank 16 through the port opening in the end parti! tion of the main tank. n I

When the coke is discharged on the washing screen l0 the water from thespray 1t will wash the solution od' the coke, carrying it through thescreen onto the drain board 15, whence it is discharged into the auxiliary tank 16, this tank, the main tank and the side compartments being full of the solution when the machine is started with the end tanks 18 and 19 empty. .As the operation proceeds, the original solution isgradually taken out ofthe main tank on the surface of the coke and ashes from which it is washed by the sprays at either end of the apparatus, the'portion of the salt or other vsubstance in the solution being returned to the main tank through the small tank 16, thev purpose of which is to keep up the liquid supply in the main tank which would otherwise be gradually exhausted. its, however, concentrated solution is' taken out of the tank and replaced by solution more or less diluted with the wash water, the specific gravity of the solution becomes gradually other substance was replenished from time to time'by the automatic feed or otherwise, the sepa-ration would soon become ineffective.

By the arrangement described, the plant may be continued in operation so long as material is added to the solution to keep up its strength. The apparatus as shown and described will preferably be operated until the settling tanks 18 and the apparatus are filled up. The apparatus will thenbe stopped, the solution in the end tanks allowed to settle and water drained o if the solution merely contains the added 19 at the ends of substance in suspension or, if the .solution culation it is not necessary that it be suciently strong to actually float the coke while letting the ashes sink, as a mere di'erence in -the rapidity of sinking properly time-d with the that is necessary to eect the separation, as the coke will be carried to its delivery belt before it sinks further thanv the particles can act independently l rate of low of the circulat- 'from the vessel aqueous components of the Huid.

the depth of the elevating pockets, while just a little greater rapidity in sinking on the part of the clinkers and ashes will cause them to reach the submerged belt. rIhe circulation of the fluid also maintains the Sola-- tion sufciently agitated to keep the material in solution and its density uniform.

rIlhe apparatus may obviously be entirely automatic in its operation, and requires no labor other than keeping the hoppers charged and draining off thewater from the settling tanks from time to time, so that the process may be profitably employed wherever there is an appreciable quantity of unburned coal or coke in the ashes discharged from the furnace.

It will of course be understood that the drawing is not intended to disclose the mechanical detailsof the feed hoppers, conveyors, etc., employed, as such devices are individually well known in the art.

It will also be understood that the processY may be carried on without following the steps of washing thev coke and ashes and recovering thematerial from solution, and that various modiiicationsmay'be 4made in the apparatus withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appendedl claims.

In the appended claims I have referred' to .the material to be salvaged as coke and the waste material as ash. It is to be understood that these terms are not to be used to indicate strictl the composition of the material, but broadly in the one instance to indicate the partially burned and unburned materials having a fuel value, and in the other instance to vindicate the waste, whether ash, clinkers, slate, etc.. A

I claim:

1. The method of separating ashv from coke which consists in feeding the material to be treated into one en d cfa vessel containing a fluid medium consisting of a combined solution and suspension of a specific gravity approximately equal to that of the coke while maintaing the fluid in said vessel continuously flowing toward the other end of the vessel, removing'the coke and ash from said fluid at different levels, treating the separated material with wash water to remove the fluid medium, returning the wash water to the vessel, thereby causing said ves-l sel to overflow, and collecting the overflow for the recovery of the non- `ity such .combination of a 2. In an apparatus for separating ash from coke, the combination of a main tank adapted to contain a fluid medium consisting of a combined solution and suspension of specific gravity approximately equal to that of the coke,

an auxiliary tank connected v to the main tank, means for 'delivering material to be separated to the main ltank near one end thereof, means for maintaining the Huid medium in the main tank in continuous circulation from the point of delivery toward the otherend thereof, means for separately collecting and discharging the ash and coke from different levels, screening means on which the separated material is delivered, means 'for spraying the material on the screening means with wash water, and conducting the washings to the said auxiliary tank to replenish the liquid taken out of the main tank, and means actuated proportionally tothe specific gravity of said fluid medium for admitting material to said tank and maintaining the specific gravity of said fluid medium at a substantially consta-nt value.

3. In an apparatus for sepa-rating ash from coke thev combination of a main tank adapted to contain a liquid of a specific gravthat the ash Will sink more rapidly than the coke, an auxiliary tank connected to the main tank, means for delivering ma-u terial to be separated to the main tank near one end thereof, means for separately collecting and discharging the ash and coke, screening means on which the separated material is delivered, means for spraying the material on the screening means with wash Water, return means positioned beneath said screening means for conducting the Washings to the said auxiliary tank to replenish for the recovery of the non-aqueous compo-- nents of the fluid.

4, In a process of separating ash from coke, a separating medium comprising a true solution and a physical suspension, the resulting iuid being of specific gravity approximately equal to that of the coke.

Signed at Mt. Union in the county of `Huntingdon and State of Pennsylvania, this 18th dayvof October, 1919.

Pimml H. JUNG. 

